Budget

Leaders who set unrealistic expectations often lack understanding of the intricacies involved in a project and the ripple effect they create on decisions, contingencies and risk. Still, best for project managers to assume good intent and work to overcome this challenge with detailed planning, communication and documentation.

Most organizations and leaders have succumbed to the sunk cost fallacy — sticking with a project or team member based on the time and money already invested, even though there is no sign of a turnaround. Being aware of this phenomenon is the first step in making sure ego does not trump rational decision-making.

Many organizations live in perpetual ‘fire-fighting’ mode, a space in which short-term results often supersede long-range plans and strategies. While this can certainly make it more difficult to fully realize the benefits of sound project management practices, there are techniques to accommodate a ‘high-drama’ culture throughout the project lifecycle.

By bridging strategy with project and portfolio management, integrated roadmaps help organizations make decisions that align with long-term goals and deliver more significant innovation, from NPD to IT efforts. This five-step guide to building a roadmap covers needs and drivers, products and capabilities, delivery gaps, and resource opportunities.

From simple problems to complex, and everything in between, there are many pitfalls that can plague a project. And with low-performing organizations wasting nearly 12 times more resources than high-performing ones on failed projects, there’s no time like the present to address the causes and implement much-needed changes.

Software measurement by itself does not resolve budget, schedule or staffing issues for projects or portfolios, but it does provide a basis upon which informed decisions can be made. Here are examples of how to use metrics to determine present capabilities, assess whether plans are feasible, and explore trade-offs if they are not.

When organizations base their decisions on desires instead of data, it usually backfires. Here are four important actions that executives, PMO directors and program leaders can take to improve the predictability and success rate of their software development and enhancement projects.

Many business leaders are unacquainted with the wealth of knowledge about how software projects behave. No surprise, they are unable to explain why these projects fail repeatedly, much less do something about it. Here are five fundamental “laws” of software development that all executives (and teams) should understand and follow.

The more rigid an organization is about dates, the less agile it can be. Still, it is legitimate for executives to ask for delivery dates, and there are strategies to meet this need, from time-boxed releases to work-forward planning. Yes, executive visibility is possible in Agile, it just takes some compromise and participation.

Integrated roadmaps help organizations document, visualize and manage their long-term new product development strategies. The benefits include high-level alignment between portfolios and strategy, to daily support for project management efforts. Here are guidelines for building and implementing integrated roadmaps.